Wavelength
by Optimus Magnus
Summary: Just another possible take on a pre 16th Angel scene.  Nothing special.  ShinjiRei.  Uses a lot of songs


Wavelength

****

****

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in here, the song, 'Throw Your Arms Around Me', is copyright of the Doug Anthony All Stars (I think), blah, blah, blah. 'If We Hold On Together' is property of Diana Ross. 'My Immortal' is property of Evanescence and 'November Rain' is property of Guns N Roses. 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters' is property of Paul Simon and Arthur Garfunkel

The 15th Angel had come, it had been destroyed and with it, was one of Shinji's last remaining friends: Asuka Langley Soryu. Now she was in a coma and would possibly never wake up. His thoughts suddenly turned to Rei, his last real friend, he had many times considered coming clean with Rei about the fact that he liked her: he wasn't sure how he much he liked her, like a friend, sibling, lover, he wasn't sure. So these thoughts still plagued him as he walked down one of the streets in outer Tokyo 3.

"Why are the Angels so cruel, what have we got that they want so badly that they are willing to kill us all for it?" he pondered

His reverie was so deep and analytical that he didn't realise that he was now in Rei's street; he was very puzzled. Another thing he could never work out was how or why he was drawn to the girl, she seemed almost magnetic for him, no matter how interesting the lessons were, and they were rarely that, he would find her a great deal more interesting, and Kensuke was all to willing to point this out to him, much to his embarrassment.

"So, what draws me to this place?" he asked the sky, buildings and ground

Little did Shinji know that he was being watched, by none other than his blue haired compatriot who lived in the derelict building standing before him; Rei's usual aplomb was for a brief second, shaken, and in that second, thousands of emotions, ideas, images, notions and feelings assaulted her like a flash of radioactive light in the mind. It gave her a migraine.

[That was, new] she mused before the ground came and rushed to meet her.

Shinji would question his own hearing after this, but he could of sworn he heard a loud thud coming from the building in front of him, so he allowed his curiosity to get the better of him and he walked very quickly to the only place where, if there was a thud, could be: Rei Ayanami's apartment. The door, as per usual, was not locked

[That never ceases to amaze me: she hasn't bee robbed or anything despite living in the worst area of town] Shinji mused as he walked in; he caught sight of a pair of feet

"Rei!" he cried and ran over to her, in his shock he used her first name

"Uhggg" she moaned incoherently

"We better get you up onto your bed" Shinji muttered

As carefully as he could, Shinji lifted the prone girl to the cot that served as her bed: he noticed that Rei was quite heavy for someone as slim and petit as she looked, but the training for Eva was having side benefits so he didn't notice it: it had slowly built up his muscles and while he was no Incredible Hulk, he was still a lot stronger than when he first came to Tokyo 3

[God damn shitty bed] he silently cursed as he put her on it and began to give her a small check up

"No fever, no broken bones, a small bump and a bruise on her head. I suppose she'll be okay", he said quietly and put a light blanket over her

Shinji sat down on the chair that sat at the desk in Rei's room; that's when he saw a radio.

[When did this thing appear?] he wondered

Then he remembered that a class assignment a while ago had required them to listen to the news and point out certain inaccuracies and possible bias in reporting. Most students used a TV; it seemed that Rei used this old radio. It was newish but hardly a piece of prime equipment

"She must not have gotten rid of it" he surmised

If he was going to watch her, he'd put on music so he began to tune a station in, he found one with a song just beginning, it's tune sounded nice enough

I will come for you at night time  
And I will raise you from your sleep  
I will kiss you in four places  
As I go running up your street And I will squeeze the life out of you  
And you will make me laugh and make me cry  
And we may never forget it  
You will make me call your name  
And I'll shout it to the blue summer sky And we may never meet again  
So shed your skin and lets get started  
And you may throw your arms around me  
Yeah you may throw your arms around me Well I came for you at night time  
And I watched you in your sleep  
Lord I met you in high places  
I kissed your head and kissed your feet Now if you disappear out of view  
You know that I will never say goodbye  
And though I try and forget it  
You will make me call your name  
And I'll shout it to the blue summer sky And we may never meet again  
So shed your skin and lets get started  
And you may throw your arms around me  
Well I came for you at night time And I watched you in your sleep  
Lord I kissed you in four places  
I kissed your head and kissed your feet  
Throw your arms around me  
Yeah you may throw your arms around me

Shinji had begun to sing along with the song after the first verse and he was really enjoying it. When the song ended, he looked down and saw Rei looking at him curiously, genuine bewilderment all over her face

"Why were you singing?" she asked

"Well, ah, um, I" he stuttered gibberish for the first few sentences

Rei just continued to look at him with that simultaneously intensive and soft look; it was a skill he'd never figured out

"I was enjoying the song, and when I enjoy it, I either hum or if the words are easy, I sing along with it" he said, going a bit red

"It was, nice" Rei said after some thought

This comment stopped Shinji dead; in fact he did a very good stunned mullet impression. This only made Rei tilt her head to the side in such a manner that Shinji found oddly appealing, even cute.

"Say what?" he said, still rather surprised

"I said that your singing was nice", Rei repeated patiently

"Thank you. You're the only person to say that" he said

"Why? Hasn't anyone else heard you sing?" Rei asked

Shinji shook his head. It was Rei's turn to be stunned now, although she didn't do a mullet impression, she blinked fifteen times, Shinji had counted

"Can you sing?" Shinji asked

Rei wasn't sure; she had never tried to sing

"I don't know" she replied, sitting up

Shinji saw this as a rare and golden opportunity to get to know this mysterious beauty better, and at the same time it would help him show Rei that there were other things in her life other than Eva if she wanted them.

"Well I'll tell you what Ayanami. You listen to the music station on this radio all day today and tomorrow, then if you here a song you like, write it down, I'll go out and find the sheet music for it on a cello, I'll play and we'll see if you can sing" he said

Rei answered before she could think about the proposal logically "Okay" she said

"Well, it's getting a bit late; Misato and I are going to visit somewhere special today, I don't want to be late, but I'll see you tomorrow at school" Shinji said and left the apartment.

Misato drove her blue coupe down a road in outer Tokyo 3, Shinji beside her in the passenger seat. On his lap were two flowers: a red rose and a white one. They soon reached their destination: Tokyo 3 Memorial Park: in it is those who died in and after 2nd Impact. The pair got out, gave each other reassuring smiles and took a rose each; Shinji took the white one, leaving Misato the red one. Then they each took a different path towards their respective gravestone to visit. Shinji knelt near his mother's and wondered what would be happening if she were alive now, not that it mattered to him now because not ever she could calm the rage he'd felt nor sooth the pain he was still feeling.

Misato was just wondering if she would still be a Major in Nerv if her father was alive; she doubted it but no one could map out a future, although Misato had a sneaking suspicion that certain powers were trying to just that right now. Misato had to chuckle; here she was grieving for a workaholic who barely spent any time with either her or her mother, but she had been split in two by his selfless act of saving her at a cost of his own life, so was her father just a fool who just tried to a good deed before dying, or did he, like Shinji and Asuka, care all along but was unable to express it; she just didn't know.

The pair left the cemetery in silence, rode home in silence, toasted their deceased loved ones in silence but wept inside for absent friends, mainly Asuka but Shinji also saluted Toji, for powering on without his limbs as a person. After some short story telling, the pair retired to bed.

Rei had listened to the radio for almost 5, maybe even 6 hours and so far, only one song had caught her attention, but it was duet so she ruled it out. Rei was almost going to tell Shinji that no songs had caught her ear, until an old tune by a singer identified as Diana Ross began playing; soft piano work, nice clear voice and a good message

[This one] she decided and grabbed a pencil and paper to write down the relevant information so the sheet music could be obtained

Diana Ross. If We Hold On Together, is what Rei wrote down on the paper. She then folded it up and put the paper in her school bag; awaiting the next day of school, with a slight feeling of, anticipation.

Rei got up and as usual she showered, ate and got dressed but a new sense of purpose because she had found a song that she liked. True she had been asked to find it, but the choice of song was up to her, not one chosen for her. This made her feel odd, not unpleasant but odd.

Shinji was on the other side of town getting ready also: he fed himself, then Pen-Pen and laid out a few things for Misato if she got up: she had been working the late shift and was usually stuffed by the time she got home. He barely even saw her these days but he knew she was upset about Kaji dying, at whose hands he didn't know but he was upset too, he liked Kaji, he was like a big brother even a father to him.

"I swear I'm cursed" he said softly and headed out the door to school

Shinji walked with a melancholy look and feel about him all the time, but his one last joy in the world was still there: music. His trusty SDAT was gone, he had since replaced it with an MP3 player with triple the songs on it that his old tapes. He chuckled as he remembered Kensuke helping him put the tapes on his laptop and encode them to MP3 for his player.

"Good times are few and far between now. I'm looking forward to hearing Rei sing though" he remembered his cello and his 'date' of sorts with the only friend he had left.

School was so boring that Shinji considered dropping out: him, Rei and the children of a few Nerv personnel were the only students left in his whole year! Alas though his status required him to go to school and if he quit he would be chucked out of Nerv, out of Misato's and out of Tokyo 3 so it wasn't worth the trouble and fuss it would cause him and the others.

When lunch finally came, Shinji sought Rei out on the rooftop: that is where she sat to have her lunch. He approached Rei with the same caution that a person approaching a mysterious animal might use.

"Hi, did you find a song?" he asked after swallowing hard several times

"Yes. Here is the name" she said and handed him the note with the relevant details

[If We Hold On Together. Very nice, very nice indeed] Shinji thought

"Okay, we'll go to the shopping centre and get the sheet music after school" he said, Rei nodded

Shinji was tingling with excitement he'd not felt since Christmas when he got a bike, years ago now. He could barely concentrate as the teacher explained how to do a simple math problem to the class. The end of school did not come soon enough for Shinji Ikari that day as he practically bounded out of his seat and down to the gates to wait for Rei; she was in a more advanced mathematics class than he was. Rei was a few minutes late because she had to clean the blackboard but Shinji was would have waited all day.

"Shall we?" he asked when Rei approached him

Rei said nothing but nodded and began walking towards the mall. The trip was silent and peaceful, even comfortable for them but soon the noise and claustrophobia of the mall descended on them, making Shinji nervous and Rei uncomfortable until they found the store where Shinji bought all his music

"Hi Shinji, long time no see" the proprietor, a blind blonde woman joked

"Very droll Rika" Shinji said, chuckling

Shinji knew the owner very well: ever since he began living in Tokyo 3 he came here for all his music and as such felt Rika was a close and trusted friend. Rika cocked her head to the side and sniffed the air and then a sly smile graced her sharp features

"Shinji, who's the girl?" she asked, chuckling as she heard Shinji choke a little

"How did you know I was a girl?" Rei asked

"Well, you have a feminine scent for a start and Shinji's two friends are usually here in front of me giving me the eye, you aren't" Rika responded deftly

"Oh" all Rei said in response

[Hmmm, my, my Shinji we are a tasteful young man] Rika was able to build a mental picture of Rei from her voice, the way she moved and even by the noise she didn't make

"Found it!" Shinji cried out

[He sounds jovial" Rika thought

"Oh by the way, I didn't get you name young lady" Rika said

"Rei Ayanami" Rei answered

"I'm Rika Asagiri. No relation before you ask" Rika was referring to a famous Japanese singer named Priss Asagiri

"Bye Rika" Shinji called after he paid for the sheet music

"Goodbye Ms. Asagiri" Rei said

"No need for formalities Rei, you may call me Rika" the woman said and smiled

Rei said nothing as she left. Rika had to chuckle as she analysed Shinji's choice of women.

[He must like a challenge. That girl's colder than liquid oxygen, and about as tough on the outside as a tank. You know what they say though: the tougher the shell, the sweeter the nut] Rika thought and decided to close up early.

Shinji was looking over the music as he walked to his apartment so that he would have an idea as to what he was playing. Rei was studying a lyric sheet that came with the sheet music so she knew the words. This silent overview lasted until they reached Shinji's door.

"Okay, if you're hungry I can fix you some noodles" Shinji said as he made his own snack

"Yes please" she replied and sat down on the easy chair, still reading the lyrics.

Rei remembered the different pitches and tones of voice the singer on the radio had used and she was going to try and follow that example. Shinji soon appeared with two bowls of noodles and some chopsticks.

"Vegetarian ramen" he said softly and placed it on the table in front of her

"Thank you" Rei replied and began to eat

Watching the pair was, as per usual a few of the Section 2 agents, but the one charged with watching the Katsuragi apartment was an odd sort, his name was Yamaki: Gendo had decreed that there was no concept of privacy with the pilots. This guy however, made sure that although they were still recording; he turned off the monitors in the viewing area and kept the audio well up.

"Well, well. Going to have a sing-along are we. Gotcha" he said and trained a small microphone on them, using computer equipment he filtered all the noise.

He watched with a great deal of anticipation: he rarely saw these two together and he thought it was kind of cute the way they interacted with each other: it reminded him of his little brother who lived in Kyoto when he'd brought his first girlfriend home to meet his parents: the poor boy was so nervous that one their sisters would embarrass him. Yamaki on the other hand was very accommodating to the young couple.

What really took him by surprise was this little proposal: it had reached his ears yesterday when a little bird told him that they were in Rei's apartment and Shinji was singing to her. He asked for a recording of it and he held in his hand the CD of said recording

"Okay little lady, lets see what you've got" he muttered and waited

Shinji felt he had learnt the music well enough by now so he proposed that they start

"Okay" Rei said and held the words in front of her

Yamaki hit the record button as Shinji lifted his cello bow

The music started and the room was filled with beautiful cello music, and after a few bars: Rei began to sing:

"Don't lose your way

With each passing day

You've come so far

Don't throw it away

Live believing

Dreams are for weeping

Wonders are waiting to start

Live your story

Faith, hope and glory

Hold to the truth in your heart

If we hold on together

I know our dreams will never die

Dreams see us through to forever

Where clouds roll by

For you and I...

Souls in the wind

Must learn how to bend

Seek out a star

Hold on to the end

Valley, mountain, there is a fountain

Washes our tears all away

Word are swaying

Someone is praying

Please let us come home to stay

If we hold on together

I know our dreams will never die

Dreams see us through to forever

Where clouds roll by

For you and I...

When we are out there in the dark

We'll dream about the sun

In the dark we'll feel the light

Warm our hearts, everyone

If we hold on together

I know our dreams will never die

Dreams see us through to forever

As high as souls can fly

The clouds roll by

For you and I..."

Yamaki his stop and looked really pleased with himself

"That girl has got some talent" he said to himself contentedly and burnt the track to a CD

Shinji was in shock and awe: Rei had the most beautiful voice he had ever heard in his entire life; soft like silk and twice as smooth, it seemed to flow from her mouth like water from a creek over a fall. He was surprised that he even kept playing his cello when she started singing

"Well, now we both know how well we sing" Shinji said and put his cello away

Rei was smiling, right at the camera.

"Yes, how do I sing?" she asked Shinji

Shinji was bowled over

"Like a goddess" he replied before thinking, he blushed a great deal after that

"Thank you again, Shinji. This was a pleasant experience" Rei said and started to pack up and leave

"You're going?" Shinji asked

"You do not wish me to go?" she responded

"Well, no, not really" he said, blushing like crazy at his response

Rei put her bag down and took her shoes off again. She then went and sat beside Shinji on the couch and looked at him; she was smiling

"Then I won't"

Yamaki took a snapshot. It was black and white but the colour camera was on too, so he could raid that for footage.

"Okay, well so far so good for the Shin-man" he said to himself and reported the activity to HQ

"Say again?" his commander asked

"The first child was singing, while the third child played background on his cello" Yamaki repeated. He could even see Kazuhiko's totally gob-smacked face in his mind's eye

"Okay" the older man said and hung up.

Shinji was in an odd position

[I have a beautiful girl in my apartment; we're going to be alone for the next three hours at least. What do I do?], he wondered

Rei was still looking at him, she was still smiling but she seemed confused

"What is wrong?" she asked

"Well, to tell you the truth; I'm not sure what to do. I've never had a guest like you, I mean Toji and Kensuke were easily pleased: I just pulled out the VCR and we watched moves or talked"

"But?" she prompted

"I've never had a female guest, like you. So I don't know what to do," he answered meekly

Rei surprised Shinji by stroking his cheek with a great tenderness

"You don't need to do anything" Rei cooed, her hand still on his face

Shinji had never seen Rei act like this, and in truth it scared him a little. Yet at the same time, it was kind of nice to have someone show him some affection with no underlying motives, it reminded Shinji of a song he heard; despite his brain freezing up, he managed the first verse

"When I look into your eyes,

I can see a love restrained.

But darlin' when I hold you,

Don't you know I feel the same" Shinji sang, although his voice wasn't as smooth as before

Rei blinked "What song was that?" she asked

"November Rain, an old song that Misato listens to" he said

[Tonight is my last night on this Earth. And for this reason, I am going to spend it with the one person who cares for me, truly] Rei thought

Contrary to what Commander Ikari believed about Rei's knowledge of the events to come, she knew a great deal: including the fact that she would 'die' during the attack of the 16th Angel. During her examination of humanity Rei saw that a common ritual was that people liked to do something special before they died if they could

And in this case, Rei was no exception. She'd even spent a week debating the issue; would Shinji reciprocate the affection or would he cave into fear and run away: she had hoped that he would not. So before anything could distract him, Rei made her move

"Rei, what are yo-" Shinji was cut off as Rei pressed her lips to his

Shinji was at first nervous, but then he remembered the song he quoted 'When I look into your eyes; I can see a love restrained. But darlin' when I hold you; don't you know I feel the same'. Did he just say that he loved Rei?

[Maybe I did] he thought, and from then he just went with the flow. A tear trailed down his cheek, Rei wiped it away and they just sat there.

Yamaki came back from his coffee buying expedition and he was shocked to see his whole team around one monitor

"Holy shit, way to go, Shinji" one of them yelled

[What…?] Yamaki thought for a second and broke into a run

When he reached the screen, he wasn't sure whether to shit his pants or do as his team and just stare in total shock: on the screen were Shinji and Rei, in bed, making love. Yamaki knew that Gendo would go berserk if he saw this. Before he allowed thoughts of King Bastard to enter his mind; he acted with the thought

[Ah but the key word is 'if']

Yamaki leaned over and turned the monitor off, then ejected the tape

"Okay, let's all make a deal: we let them keep this moment for themselves. They deserve that right?" he said

"Yamaki, we can get into deep shit if we're not monitoring them at all times, you know that right?" his second in command asked

He nodded

"Be it on my own head; I am in charge of this detail you do as I tell you and I am telling you to not record them" Yamaki explained

"Whose timing" a voce said, an arm with a stopwatch rose up

"Okay. We can check them out every now and then, just to measure his stamina. As fellow men we must know what the younger generation is capable of" Yamaki said

He appointed the resident female, Yumi, to watch the monitor with the stopwatch

"Yumi; feed the other cameras over to these monitors, that way we've got the rest of the house under surveillance and it'll limit the trouble I'll get in" Yamaki said and took a slug of his cappuccino

Rei woke up covered in a cold sweat later that night, she'd had a nightmare: her first and it scared her terribly. Her whimpering woke Shinji up

"Rei, what's wrong?' he asked, slipping an arm around her waist. Rei spun around and hugged herself as close to Shinji as she could

"A bad dream" she whispered

Shinji remembered a song that helped him get to sleep when he was upset and reached over Rei to the bedside table and got his MP3 player; he placed an ear bud in Rei's left ear and he put the other one in his own ear

"Here, this song helps me sleep" he said and pressed play

When you're weary, feeling small  
When tears are in your eyes,  
I will dry them all  
I'm on your side  
When times get rough  
And friends just can't be found

Like a bridge over troubled water  
I will lay me down  
Like a bridge over troubled water  
I will lay me down

When you're down and out  
When you're on the street  
When evening falls so hard  
I will comfort you  
I'll take your part  
When darkness comes  
And pain is all around

Like a bridge over troubled water  
I will lay me down  
Like a bridge over troubled water  
I will lay me down

Sail on silver girl  
Sail on by  
Your time has come to shine  
All your dreams are on their way  
See how they shine  
When you need a friend  
I'm sailing right behind

Like a bridge over troubled water  
I will ease your mind  
Like a bridge over troubled water  
I will ease your mind

Shinji saw that Rei was now asleep, and smiling again, like the real kind of Angel. The he himself settle down to a contented sleep

Shinji awoke the following morning to an empty bed: there was a note on the bedside table. With great anticipation, he reached over and grabbed it. It read:

'Dear Shinji,

When you read this, I shall obviously not be beside you. I want you to know however, last night you made me feel loved and human, like no one else has ever done before and I love you for it, as you love me.

Please, when the time comes, you shall know it when it arrives, do not mourn, for I will always reside in your heart.

Love,

Rei'

Shinji took several minutes to fully comprehend the words of the letter but eventually it came to him: Rei knew that somehow she was going to die. Before he could speak, Angel alarms began sounding

[Oh no] he realised and flung himself out of bed and into some clothes and out of the door.

Misato was waiting downstairs for him; she was originally going to talk to him about last night, having threatened to kick Yamaki off Shinji's detail if he didn't tell her what went on. She was thinking cute until Yamaki mentioned they got heavy in the bedroom. Yamaki had then likened her to a ticking time bomb and felt sorry for Shinji. He did neglect to mention that Rei had left an hour before Misato got home.

"Shinji, I have to talk to you after this. Meet me in my office after the battle" Misato said

[She knows. I'm in deep shit] Shinji thought, blushing giving his secret away

Just as they arrived at Nerv, Shinji saw Rei's Eva pop up out of the ground. He pressed his face to the glass

"Rei" he whispered as they pulled into an elevator.

Shinji suited up in record time and jumped in his plug with previously unknown vigour. He watched the battle ensue. When the Angel began to invade Rei's body, he got angry, rage born of the most mysterious love, but love none the less

Let me up there!" he cried out to his father

"Negative" was the cold response

Shinji raged, pleaded and even begged to be let up there

[I'm not going to help her by sitting here asking. Okay, Eva unit 1; lets see what you can really do] he thought and grabbed the control sticks, pulled down a small panel and keyed in the manual activation code.

"EVA UNIT 01. ACTIVATING" a computerised voice said

"What?" Misato ran to check; catapult 5 was being used and the Eva was already half way to the surface

[Yamaki, wasn't lying] realisation dawned on the Major: what he'd said was true

Shinji bolted to the place where Rei was but alas, it was too late: his onboard computer told him that Eva 0's self-destruct protocol had been engaged

"Core will self-destruct in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0" Shinji was just reaching her when the Eva exploded, bathing the other Eva in a yellow light

Shinji sat in the Gantry that Unit 0 was once held in: but never again would it rest here, nor would it's pilot ever grace the Earth with her feet again. Shinji knew it was a bit selfish, but he wanted her back if only to kiss her one last time before she left. Shinji looked up at the opening of a door to his left; a man of about 30 walked into the gantry and sat beside him

"Who are you?" Shinji asked

"It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all", the man said

Shinji glared at him

"I'm Yamaki. The poor sod who was charged with watching your home nearly 24/7"

Shinji's eyes widened in horror

"Don't worry, we switched off the recording devices when the action started getting real intimate" he said

Shinji sighed in relief

"We all thought that after all this shit, if your 'moment' was going to happen, it was going to be private" he didn't say that Yumi had timed him

"Thanks Mr. Ya…" Shinji was cut off

Yamaki held up a hand and pulled a cigarette and lit it

"You can just call me Yamaki; I just got sacked from Section 2" he said

Shinji then muttered an apology if it was his actions last night with Rei that got him sacked

"No, I gave the order to cease recorded monitoring of the pair of you. Besides, I met your old man when I came here and have wanted to piss him off badly ever since anyway" he stopped and took a drag

He let the smoke out with a wry grin on his face as he looked at Shinji's still stunned look

"Besides, Commander Cock and Balls can go suck a fat one for all I care" said

Yamaki looked up at the camera and the microphones that were undoubtedly there

"You hear me mother fucker. Gendo Ikari; you are a cock sucking dog fucking cat licking, crotch flea" he yelled at the camera, flipping it the bird for good measure

The two agents sent to escort Yamaki out of the building were sniggering despite the situation imposed upon them at Yamaki's words: there wasn't a person in Nerv that didn't wish the commander harm. To hear someone openly bag him out was nothing short of priceless. They hung back as the man calmed down and presented Shinji with an envelope

"Here; my team and I, we threw these together for you after we heard unit 0 was destroyed" he said

"What are they?' Shinji asked: he opened the envelope and inside was a CD and a picture

"Well on the CD is a recording of Rei singing that song at your place yesterday. The other track is one I got a 'friend of a friend' to do for me. Rei sang it this morning after she left your house and went home", Yamaki said

"Thanks Yamaki. This must sound so lame, but we make love once, and I claim to be in love with her after she dies" Shinji lamented

"It isn't lame, you'd be surprised how strongly people feel for others, even if they only spend a short time together" the man said back

Shinji looked at the picture: it was Rei, she was looking up at the camera in his house: he saw the chair in the background. Yamaki smiled and got up

"See ya Shinji. Keep her close now, you hear" he said as the two still smiling guards came and got him

"Come on Yamaki, let's at least try and make your exit dignified" one of them said, still suppressing a chuckle

"Yeah. I will" Shinji called as Yamaki was escorted out

"Oh and, forty minutes is pretty good, kid" he called back

Shinji just stared at the open door

[I don't want to know] he thought

When Shinji got home, he expected a grilling from Misato, but all he got was a soft smile and an apology. And a warning never to pull that kind of stunt again until he was 16. Shinji retreated to the main room and put the CD in the system, soft music soon began playing

"Pretty voice, who is it?" Misato asked

"Rei" he answered

Misato nearly dropped her beer and began listening to the song:

_I'm so tired of being here,_

_Suppressed by all my childish fears_

_And if you have to leave_

_I wish that you would just leave_

_'Cause your presence still lingers here_

_And it won't leave me alone_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_I held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have_

_All of me_

_You used to captivate me_

_By your resonating life_

_Now I'm bound by the life you left behind_

_Your face it haunts_

_My once pleasant dreams_

_Your voice it chased away_

_All the sanity in me_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_I held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have_

_All of me_

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone_

_But though you're still with me_

_I've been alone all along_

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_I held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have_

_All of me_

Shinji sat on the couch and played the song twelve times, at the end he just cried, but she was right: he was the only person Rei ever fully gave herself to: she didn't just him his first time, but a piece of her soul too, he would forever treasure this CD and the gift Rei gave him.

The End 

A/N: For those of you who don't know, the Doug Anthony All Stars are an Australian comedy trio that were big in the 80's. Their lead singer, Paul McDermott is an Australian comedy king and still a very successful man.


End file.
